West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells $887,500.00 in Stock

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $887,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,745,390. The trade was a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:WST traded up $9.16 on Tuesday, hitting $364.36. 960,006 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 840,040. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $386.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $348.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.52.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The company had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.08.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 843 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 945 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (NYSE: WST) develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company’s offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.